Sewage overflows into Sarasota Bay

Sarasota County sewer system became overloaded by rains from Tropical Storm Debby

By DALE WHITE and CARRIE WELLS

An estimated 20,000 gallons of a mixture of untreated sewage and rain water flowed into Sarasota Bay on Tuesday after the county sewage system became overloaded in a neighborhood south of downtown.

Rain from Tropical Storm Debby mixed with sewage and caused environmental and health hazards in two waterfront Sarasota neighborhoods.

In affluent Harbor Acres, west of Orange Avenue and south of downtown Sarasota, a manhole overflowed and caused sewage to mix with rain water that then drained into a sewer hole that discharges into Sarasota Bay.

When wastewater in the sewage pipeline is “not moving fast enough,” it can back up and come out of a manhole and then mix with storm water, city spokeswoman Jan Thornburg said.

Thornburg said the city warns residents to stay out of standing storm water after a major storm because of the possibility it could be contaminated.

Crews used a pumper truck to divert the flow and disinfected streets and curbs.

On Siesta Key, county crews were trucking wastewater from the island’s sewage treatment facility and 13 sewer lift stations that were at risk of flooding because of heavy rains there.

Power was out to two of the lift stations, which then had to be shifted to generators.

“At the Siesta Key Water Reclamation Facility, we have been able to stop the overflow and all flow to the plant is getting some type of treatment, but we are having to bypass approximately 25 percent of the flow from the full treatment process,” Theresa Connor, the county’s environmental services director, reported to the county administration. “That flow is getting partial treatment, but is not able to go through the full treatment process. All other (wastewater) plants have been able to fully treat all flow being received.”

On Monday, the county warned that all of four of its wastewater treatment plants were being overloaded, and officials urged residents to restrict water use to compensate.